Gabriel Goes to the Zoo










The best time to enjoy the zoo is, in my opinion, at three years of age. When we become parents (and grandparents), we can again enjoy many activities through a child's eyes. Marta says, explaining these pictures,

"Last Saturday we went
to Deer Forest... a very nice
place where you can see,
meet, and feed animals... we
had the best time. Here
I put some pictures."

Dear Matthew,

How nice is to go to Yoga lessons... I love it too! Although I am sure you
will be a little better than me.... Since you are so flexible at this age!

New York happy hour???? You are a very lucky baby..... I was pretty old
the first time I said "I am going to New York City"....This is sooooooo much
fun.....you, baby Matthew, in the "real" New York City !!!!!

Your cousin Gabriel asks about you all the time, he wants to meet you,
although he thinks he will be able to play with you with his trucks... Ha
ha, I will tell him there is another game that you love the most.... To
roll
over!

Please, have fun with mom in NY and be patient... I am sure that many
"loud"
women are doing to say 1,000,000 times how cute you are and they will kiss
you and hug you and squeeze you.... ;-)

We also love you and can't wait to see you in August.

Lot's of love,
Villanuevas of Stevensville (Coco included)

A Message from Matthew, age 2.5 months

Hey everyone,
Yesterday I found my left hand. I like to suck on my
thumb when my hand is in a fist. It's a little
difficult, sometimes I can get my thumb and pointer
finger in my mouth.
I went to my first yoga class yesterday. Mommy was
laying down in class and I rolled over, off the pillow
I was laying on and onto the floor. I kind of
surprised Mom but she was happy that I rolled over.
There were 9 other babies in the room and at times
there were about 4 babies crying all at once. I was
pretty good during the class since I found my hand but
I wanted my Mommy to pick me up a few times and she
did some poses with me.
Tonight Mommy and I are going into New York City to a
happy hour. I'm going to meet all of Mommy's work
friends and I'm so excited.
My Mommy attached a picture of me yesterday with my
hand in my mouth and one of Daddy and me when he got
home from work.
I miss you and love you!
Matthew

Matthew at 2 Months

Here are the latest pictures of Matthew, Tom and Kelly's baby boy, born May 12. Matthew and his parents just spent some time in Florida with Kelly's family, experiencing his first plane ride and his first time in the pool. (Tom reports he enjoyed the pool very much.) In our international family, it is so interesting to see our grandchildren's development and unique appearances. We look for resemblances to previous generations. I have wavy hair, big feet, and long toes, so I am claiming these characteristics whenever they show up in these little ones.
When we look at a baby's face, we wonder what his life will be. My father's life began in 1899 and ended in 1981; when he was a boy, a car was unusual and yet he lived to see men walk on the moon. When I was a small child, we listened to the radio and didn't yet have a television. Now here we all are on the computer, and whatever would we do without it? What can Matthew see and experience in his life? We can't even guess.
(More photos of Tom, Kelly, and Matthew can be seen here.)

Zucchini Season

It is zucchini season again and we are having a good crop in our garden. I often saute chopped onion and sliced zucchini in a little olive oil, add a small amount of water, cover, and cook a short time, maybe 5 minutes, sprinkle with salt and pepper, maybe a little soya sauce for flavor, and enjoy!
This morning I baked zucchini bread, a family favorite. Please check out the recipe in the side bar. In January I purchased vanilla during a vacation to Cancun, about one dollar for a very large bottle, especially cheap because it is produced nearby, when we traveled to Cancun. The special vanilla gives this year's batch an especially pleasing aroma. If you were here with me right now, I would be offering you a cup of tea and a slice of warm zucchini bread!

Fun in the Sun
We spent some time outside with Gabriel enjoying the fresh air and more moderate temperatures at the end of the week. Gabriel has many games and activities for outside. He likes to ride his "moto" in the driveway and knows not to go into the street for any reason. He likes to play with his ball and look at everything that is going on.
Recently we were able to acquire a small used electric car, a "jeep", that was a surprise for Gabriel on Friday. It is a dream car for a three year old boy. The technology for this car is amazing to me. You can plug it in, charge it up, and then it can be driven for some distance at a very slow speed. (Now why can't we have the same principal in an adult car???)

A Beautiful Day

After several too warm days, today we had a really perfect day. This morning was cool and sunny so Gabriel wore his jacket for playing outside in his sandbox. I worked on the flower beds nearby, pulling weeds and tidying up. We really enjoyed being outside.
Gabriel has just spent a month in Spain visiting his Spanish family. At age 3 he is bilingual, equally fluent in English and Spanish. Returning from Spain, his Spanish language is stronger so he speaks to me in Spanish and I reply in English. He understands me very well but sometimes I'm guessing what he's saying!

Fun with Gabriel

This week I'm spending with Gabriel, Marta, and Steve while Gabriel has a little break from his school and camp activities. Above you can see a young artist at work, creating a painting for his Mommy when she returns from work.

This evening after dinner we went to the beach. Steve and Marta's house is a five minute drive from Lake Michigan. It had been a hot day so the prospect of a walk on the beach was very enticing. Please look at the blue clouds in the background of some of the pictures because a big thunderstorm was brewing and caused us to scramble to the car, sand blowing into our skin and raindrops falling, thunder all around us. It was a very exciting if short time at the beach!

Days with Scarlett and Gabriel

We just spent a few days with our granddaughter Scarlett near Chicago. Cathy and Sasha were busy working during the day so we took Scarlett to the park, out to eat lunch, and then for shopping.



















Saturday evening we went to the Woodfield Mall where there is an Apple Store. Below please see Scarlett trying out a Dora program on one of the computers.




























Also we went to the Rainforest Cafe. Scarlett was impressed with all the animals. It is a wonderful place to take children.












Next I will be spending a few days with Gabriel. He and his parents have just returned from Spain and will get back to the routine of their jobs while I stay with Gabriel!

Babies Are Beautiful!
Here's the latest picture of Matthew at 7 weeks old with his mom Kelly, taken in Florida where they spent some time with Kelly's family. Matthew is clearly doing well, filling out nicely, and according to Tom, now is beginning to smile. More grandchildren pictures are to follow!

Coco
Please meet Coco, a four year old boxer, Marta and Steve's dog, who is staying with us while they are on vacation. Coco began to stay with us sometimes when she was quite young. Marta and Steve have trained her very well and I'm very impressed with her intelligence and discipline. She is the first boxer I have known, but I think this is a very good breed. When I let her outside, she always stays in our yard even though we don't have a fence. We take her for a long walk every morning, about 3 or 4 miles, and then she rests most of the day. She is always kind and pleasant. Yesterday a workman came to our door, and I can see she would be a good watchdog, because she barked and looked ferocious, even though I knew she just wanted to be friendly. When my students visit my house, Coco is usually very quiet and we don't even know she is around. Coco is a very good visitor!

A Day in a Baby's LifeTom just sent some new pictures from last weekend, taken while hiking near the lake house in New York. I'm very impressed with all the new kinds of baby equipment that's available for today's parents. Memories of rickety car seats and wobbly cribs come back to me. Matthew at 5 weeks old can enjoy being outside with his parents, warmly placed next to them, having a nap wherever he is. Life is sweet!

Welcome to My Garden

The end of June is almost here and our garden is looking good. On the right you can see green tomatoes on the vine. We have about a dozen tomato plants so I think we may have ripe tomatoes in a couple of weeks, so much more delicious than those found in the supermarket. Pictured below is lettuce which we have just begun to eat, sweet and tender, perfect for tossed salads or on a sandwich. Below right are the cucumber plants, both American cucumbers and Japanese which are climbing up the garden fence. (Japanese cucumbers are thinner, more tender, and almost seedless.) Because of deer, rabbits, and other wild life, our garden has double fencing. Without double fencing, almost everything would be eaten by the animals! The bottom picture has our zucchini plants, which right now have many zucchini's about 4 inches long, so we should be eating them within a couple of days. I love zucchini, either fried in a little olive oil as a side dish, or baked in zucchini bread, a family favorite. (See link to recipe on the side.) My garden also has green peppers, green beans, and Japanese eggplant so we hope to enjoy many fresh vegetables later in the summer. Hopefully we'll have plenty to share with friends and family.

Look at Me, World!

Baby Matthew is now about 6 weeks old and he is doing very well. These are his 4 week old pictures. He is becoming more alert and aware of his surroundings.



Mom has a cute new haircut!

Dad is proud of me!

Lots more pictures can be seen here.

New Haircut!

I'm convinced the best haircuts in the world can be found in Spain. Barbers there are very careful, taking time with their barber shears, creating a work of art from a head of hair. Having a haircut has until now not been Gabriel's favorite activity. (In fact, I think he's cried pretty hard at previous haircuts in Michigan!) Gabriel and Marta are in Spain now visiting family so Gabe had this beautiful haircut. It's amazing how much older and more mature he looks with a very trim cut. Gabriel just celebrated his third birthday last month and it seems that he's left babyhood behind forever and become a big boy.

Father's Day

Today, Sunday, June 17 is Father's Day, and we were happy that Steve was able to be with us. Marta and Gabriel are now in Spain and Steve will join them next weekend for a much deserved vacation. While he's gone, Coco, their wonderful boxer dog will stay with us. Coco is now 4 years old and very easy to have in our house. When she goes outside, she stays in our back yard without wandering into the neighbor's yards. She has a good walk in the morning and then she pretty much takes it easy the rest of the day.
It is lovely having Steve here. Yesterday he and I went shopping. Tony barbequed pork spare ribs, one of Steve's favorite meals. This morning Tony and Steve went to church together.

Mitsuwa Marketplace

When we are in Chicago, one of my favorite places to go is Mitsuwa Marketplace (here), a Japanese shopping center offering groceries, books, and various items from Japan and other Asian countries. Mitsuwa has a food court where an excellent Japanese lunch can be enjoyed for a very reasonable price.
Above you can see Tony's tray with miso soup, tempura, rice, and other items.















Next is my granddaughter Scarlett's favorite, udon (Japanese noodles) with tempura. She can eat the whole bowl of noodles but I think has help with the tempura.

Last is my large bowl of ramen. This is so delicious and very unlike the packages of dried ramen we can always find in our supermarkets. This ramen has a thick rich broth with thinly sliced pork, fresh soft ramen noodles, seaweed, and probably a lot of other ingredients that I don't even know.

I love to visit Mitsuwa!